Chicken Nutrition Glossary

Key terms and definitions for understanding chicken nutrition, cooking science, and food safety.

Nutrition

Macronutrients (Macros): The three main nutrients the body needs in large amounts: protein, fat, and carbohydrates. Chicken is primarily a source of protein and fat, with negligible carbohydrates.
Micronutrients: Vitamins and minerals needed in smaller amounts. Chicken provides B vitamins (especially B3 and B6), selenium, phosphorus, zinc, and iron.
Serving Size: The standardized amount of food used for nutritional comparison. We use 100g as our standard reference weight, with calculators allowing any custom portion.
Calories (kcal): A unit measuring the energy content of food. Chicken calories come primarily from protein (4 cal/g) and fat (9 cal/g). Chicken breast has ~120 cal/100g raw.
Complete Protein: A protein source containing all 9 essential amino acids in adequate proportions. Chicken is a complete protein with a PDCAAS score of 1.0 (maximum).
PDCAAS: Protein Digestibility Corrected Amino Acid Score — a measure of protein quality. Score ranges from 0 to 1.0, with 1.0 being the highest. Chicken scores 1.0.
Leucine: An essential amino acid found in chicken breast at approximately 1.9g per 100g raw per USDA amino acid data.
Thermic Effect of Food (TEF): The energy used to digest, absorb, and process nutrients. Protein requires more digestive energy than carbohydrates or fat. This is a food science measurement — not a dietary recommendation.
Raw Weight vs Cooked Weight: The critical distinction in nutrition tracking. 100g raw chicken ≠ 100g cooked chicken nutritionally. Always specify which you measured and use the corresponding values.

Data Sources

USDA FoodData Central: The official U.S. government database for food composition data, maintained by the Agricultural Research Service. All our nutrition values are sourced from this database with specific FDC ID numbers.
FDC ID: FoodData Central Identifier — a unique number assigned to each food entry in the USDA database. Referenced on our pages for traceability (e.g., chicken breast = FDC #171077).

Cooking Science

Moisture Loss: The water lost during cooking. Chicken typically loses 20-30% of its raw weight when cooked. This concentrates nutrients per gram of cooked weight.
Cooking Yield: The percentage of raw weight that remains after cooking. A yield of 75% means 100g raw becomes 75g cooked. Used for raw-to-cooked weight conversions.
Nutrient Retention Factor: The proportion of a nutrient that remains after cooking. Most minerals and protein are fully retained; some B vitamins may decrease 10-30% in wet cooking methods.
Maillard Reaction: A chemical reaction between amino acids and sugars at high heat that creates browning and flavor. Responsible for the golden-brown color on grilled and roasted chicken.
Carryover Cooking: The continued rise in internal temperature after removing chicken from heat (typically 5-10°F). Pull chicken at 160°F and rest 5 minutes to reach 165°F.
Rendered Fat: Fat that has melted out of chicken during cooking. When roasting skin-on chicken, the fat under the skin liquefies and can be drained away or used for cooking.
Brining: Soaking chicken in salt water (3-6% salt) for several hours. Increases moisture retention during cooking by 5-10%, reducing dryness.
Spatchcocking: Removing the backbone and flattening a whole chicken for faster, more even cooking. Reduces roasting time by 30-40%.
HCAs (Heterocyclic Amines): Chemical compounds that can form when meat is cooked at very high temperatures with direct flame contact or heavy charring. Minimize by avoiding prolonged charring. Marinating before grilling can reduce formation per food science research.

Food Safety

Internal Temperature: The temperature measured at the thickest part of chicken. USDA recommends 165°F (74°C) as the minimum safe internal temperature for all chicken.

Cuts

Skin-On / Skin-Off: Whether chicken skin is included. Skin adds approximately 55 calories and 9g fat per 100g. Removing skin reduces calories by 25-40%.
Bone-In / Boneless: Whether the bone is present. Bone-in chicken is cheaper per pound but yields less edible meat. The bone does not affect nutrition of the meat itself.
Dark Meat: Thigh, drumstick, and leg meat. Contains more myoglobin (iron-rich protein), resulting in higher iron, zinc, and B12 content but also more fat than white meat.
White Meat: Breast and tender meat. Leaner and higher in protein per calorie but lower in iron and zinc compared to dark meat.
Tenderloin: The small strip of muscle on the underside of the chicken breast (also called the tender or fillet). Naturally tender, extra lean, quick-cooking.